


One Away

by Tahlruil



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Fluff and Crack, How Do I Tag, Language, M/M, Stony Bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-17 21:13:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9345302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tahlruil/pseuds/Tahlruil
Summary: A mishap in the lab may end up changing the course of the lives of Tony Stark and his fellow Avengers forever.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I... don't even know guys. XD
> 
> This is the dumbest thing ever. It's to fulfill my 'One Lab Accident Away From Super Villainy' for Stony Bingo. I wanted it to be closer to 500 words, but I am incapable of such a thing, apparently. I'm sick, so it's prolly sloppy and their might be mistakes. If you catch any, point 'em out so I can fix 'em? ^.^
> 
> Comments would be adored. <3 Thanks for reading!

It had all been for nothing

All his hard work, every invention, every discussion with his AI… worthless. Meeting aliens, visiting strange new worlds, his foray into studying serums… pointless. Everything was _falling apart_ because of one _stupid mistake_. Tony’s latest invention had literally blown up in his face, and that wasn’t even the worst part.

The worst part was that his husband had witnessed the whole thing.

Steve was struggling between laughing and attempting to comfort him, and it sucked. It was so unfair – his invention should have worked. The fabrication had gone flawlessly, and he’d been so careful to account for every variable in the design phase. Flicking the ‘on’ button shouldn’t have… it shouldn’t have… but it had. And now, suddenly… he was just… done.

He was done engineering the future.

He was done pushing himself, running himself ragged to try and save the world.

He was done be an ambassador to alien races.

He was done with labs, done with snarky AI’s, done with trying so damn hard only to be mocked and overlooked.

Tony Stark was _**done**_.

As Steve watched on in dawning horror, Tony began to cackle maniacally. He tore his failed invention apart, tossing bits and pieces away without any care what or who they might hit. Only when he’d obliterated the stupid thing, reducing it to useless scraps – as useless as everything he’d worked so hard for – did he finally fall silent. Eerily so, if his husband’s expression was any indication.

He ignored his husband as he turned away, ready to leave the lab and his failed dreams behind him. He did hope Steve would understand and support him, he mused as he pulled his phone out of his pocket with a flourish. It was time for a change, time for something… new.

Tony had some calls to make.

~.~.~

“HA! Called it. Pay up, Nat!”

“This is _bullshit_.” Tony proclaimed vehemently over Clint’s exclamation, irritation and embarrassment sparking to life inside of him. He could feel warmth crawling up the back of his neck, but he refused to let it turn into an actual blush. Not even if Nat (sighing unhappily) didn’t look all that surprised as she handed the still-crowing Clint a wad of bills. Not even if Steve was giving him a sort of helplessly amused little grin, shrugging as if to say ‘what can you do?’ in that adorable way of his. Not even if Bruce was watching him with a knowing smile hidden behind one hand. He wasn’t going to blush despite all of that – he wasn’t going to let him see how upset he was! “This is… no. It’s bullshit. Jay, what the hell-”

“Nay, friend Stark! Do not chastise the noble JARVIS. You yourself claimed that the modifications he made were perfect, yes? So ‘tis not his fault that our Simish friends have taken this turn. Besides, I find this quite entertaining!” Thor wasn’t lying about that at least, his eyes were still glued to the screen as he munched happily on popcorn.

“But…”

“Nope! Face facts – you are clearly predisposed to villainy! You’re one lab accident away, Stark.”

“Shut up, birdbrain, or I’ll go villain on your ass right now,” he grumbled, pouting as he turned his attention back to the game playing out before their eyes. “I’m a good guy, dammit.”

“Hey,” Steve soothed, scooting a little closer to him on the couch and wrapping an arm around his waist. “We know that, Tony. We don’t actually think you’ll turn into a villain, sweetheart.” Allowing himself to be slightly mollified by the way Steve pressed his lips to his temple, Tony turned into his boyfriend and snuggled close. Even as he did, the Sims 4 version of Tony Stark was walking out of his place of employment, FutureSim Labs… and making the call that would put him on the criminal career track instead. It was… it was fucking bullshit.

He did kind of like that Sim Steve was chasing after him, clearly unwilling to let him deal with this alone.

“Damn straight I’m not gonna go evil. I mean, I blow shit up in my ‘shop all the fucking time. I don’t get all pissy about it.”

“I wouldn’t go that far. You get a little cranky.”

“Well fine, but I have accidents all the time, and I don’t just go ‘welp, that’s that, I better turn to a life of crime!’ because that would be fucking stupid. Jesus. I don’t think the mods JARVIS created are working right.”

“I don’t know,” Steve returned thoughtfully, still watching. “Our characters all found each other, and we’re friends. Me’n you are married, which I am very okay with.” That cheeky grin was just dirty pool, and if his boyfriend didn’t put it away, Tony was going to jump him right there in the rec room. “Just go with it, sweetheart.”

“Don’t know why we even did this. It’s a fucking game, not a movie.”

“You know why. You like watching us all smile.”

“Lies. Lies and slander. I am a hardhearted old crank, and I wish all of you would get the fuck out of my tower. Well, you can stay. I guess, since you warm my bed very nicely.”

“Tony, I know you so you’re not gonna fool me here. You do like to make us happy, and this is making Clint and Thor’s day. Thank you for being a good sport.”

“Better get a reward later.”

“You will. I promise.”

“By ‘reward’ I mean sex.”

“Yeah, I got that Tony.”

“Kinky sex.”

“Tony.”

“I demand you blow me in the-”

“ _TONY_ ” The way Steve went cherry red as he hissed Tony’s name went a long way towards improving his mood.

“… you guys know we can hear you, right?”

“That’s the _point_ , Nat. He doesn’t blush anywhere near so pretty from so little when we’re in private.”

“Tony!” As they all laughed and teased, the ‘extreme free will’ playthrough of the Sims 4 continued to roll on the screen, all of JARVIS’s modifications to gameplay making it strangely compelling. For the rest of the day, they watched as Sim Tony climbed the crime ladder, until he was The Boss. Meanwhile, Sim Steve had quit his job as a painter to become a detective – he and Tony spent all day chasing after each other, only to come home to domestic bliss. Sim Clint had married Sim Bruce, and they’d adopted a pretty ridiculous number of children; Sim Thor moved in to help them care for the brats and promptly started an affair with Sim Bruce. That upset the real Thor, who began to throw popcorn at the screen. Once they persuaded him to stop that, he began to earnestly tell Clint and Bruce that he would never, ever interfere in the love between two shield brothers in such a way – interestingly, the two were blushing and refusing to make eye-contact with each other, which was something Tony would have to look into. Sim Natasha, despite having no job that anyone could discern, had amassed an alarming pile of wealth – Tony suspected she’d learned how to activate the money cheats for herself.

So really, all in all, what was a little lab accident induced villainy? Steve still loved him, and he still had all his friends. Whatever other foibles the game had gotten wrong, at least it had gotten that right.


End file.
